Pilot Sport A/S 3+ for my 318ti Club Sport

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I just ordered them from Tire Rack today, as I wanted to take advantage of Michelin's $70 MasterCard Reward Card offer before it expired. These will be the first all-season tires I've put on the ti, but since it is no longer a track rat I decided the A/S 3+ would be more than adequate. The car never sees snow/ice/salt but otherwise I do drive it when the ambient temps are below freezing, so the improved grip at low temperatures will be appreciated. I'll update this thread with some initial impressions once the tires are installed(currently scheduled for 9/21).
 
They seem to be half decent for autocross even. One of the guys was running some older 200TW autocross specials on his Impreza and but got a set of the A/S3+ for the street, but ran them last weekend just to see how they do. Assuming we run similar paces from event to event at the same location, the A/S3's were only a couple tenths slower on a 70s course. 2 events ago on the 200TW's he got me by a tenth, and last weekend I got him by a tenth, swapping 3rd and 4th places. I was running the same bfg comp2's on the same pressures.
I think they were abit easier to overheat but he's an experienced driver and still got good runs on them.
 
Seems like your usage is a great match for this tire.
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Personally, I have been disappointed with UHP a/s tires... Bstone re960, re970, Conti DWS. You give up grip and steering response, winter handling capabilities are marginal at best, and tread life is no better than summer only tires.

Hope you have better luck with this Michelin a/s tire.
 
Anecdotally, I have heard that they pretty much match the old summer-only PS2s for dry grip, which is impressive for an all-season tire.

But as Pete said, AS tires are all about compromise. They excel at nothing.
 
I know UHP A/S tires are a compromise; I might have gone with a set of Pilot Super Sports but they aren't available in 225/50-16.
 
Originally Posted By: MCompact
I know UHP A/S tires are a compromise; I might have gone with a set of Pilot Super Sports but they aren't available in 225/50-16.


There is no such thing (yet) as a no-compromise tire.

All tires are compromises. If you get PSS, then you compromise on wear and especially colder temperature performance.
 
I think of the A/S 3 and A/S 3+ as 3-season tires that trade middle-of-summer performance for more early-spring and late-fall flexibility. If I had unlimited funds, I'd probably run the 3+ as a third set between my summer and winter tires. The main reason I don't run it as my summer tire is that I can have the Pilot Sport 4S, which is a better match for my car character-wise. For anyone who isn't in a similar situation, I recommend the 3+ all day. It's an outstanding tire.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I think of the A/S 3 and A/S 3+ as 3-season tires that trade middle-of-summer performance for more early-spring and late-fall flexibility. If I had unlimited funds, I'd probably run the 3+ as a third set between my summer and winter tires. The main reason I don't run it as my summer tire is that I can have the Pilot Sport 4S, which is a better match for my car character-wise. For anyone who isn't in a similar situation, I recommend the 3+ all day. It's an outstanding tire.


The 4S is not available in the sizes I need for the 2er, and if I go that route I will need to have a second set of tires as Michelin doesn't recommend even storing them in below freezing temperatures.
A customer at work just took delivery of a new M2, and the first thing he did was take off the PSS tires and replace them with A/S 3+ tires to drive year round.
I just shook my head...
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Yikes. Goes to show you why M cars are the way they are now...



It's not entirely the owners' faults...
 
Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I think of the A/S 3 and A/S 3+ as 3-season tires that trade middle-of-summer performance for more early-spring and late-fall flexibility. If I had unlimited funds, I'd probably run the 3+ as a third set between my summer and winter tires. The main reason I don't run it as my summer tire is that I can have the Pilot Sport 4S, which is a better match for my car character-wise. For anyone who isn't in a similar situation, I recommend the 3+ all day. It's an outstanding tire.


The 4S is not available in the sizes I need for the 2er, and if I go that route I will need to have a second set of tires as Michelin doesn't recommend even storing them in below freezing temperatures.
A customer at work just took delivery of a new M2, and the first thing he did was take off the PSS tires and replace them with A/S 3+ tires to drive year round.
I just shook my head...

That's how my buddy got his A/S3's. The dealership he works at had a used WRX and put them on, but the guy that bought it wanted 4 season tires, like Pirelli P4's... So they took them off and the techs got first shot at the new A/S3's.
For street driving though, there is some argument to not running super sticky tires, especially on a AWD car. You can play around at the limit with less risk.
 
UPDATE:

So far I am very pleased. The ride is a bit softer with the Michelins as opposed to the Dunlop Star Specs that they replaced. Dry grip is about the same, wet grip is superior. The tires suit the car perfectly.
 
Originally Posted By: MCompact
UPDATE:

So far I am very pleased. The ride is a bit softer with the Michelins as opposed to the Dunlop Star Specs that they replaced. Dry grip is about the same, wet grip is superior. The tires suit the car perfectly.


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Same experiences here. Acura TL w/ both Conti DWS and A/S 3; Lexus w/ stock B/S Turanza touring EL400-02, A/S 3+ and now Pilot Super Sports.

The Acura comparison had the A/S 3 handling improving over DWS while still having some snow traction. The Lexus A/S 3+ lost a slight razor sharpness (B/S's known trait) off the EL400-02 but still did well; but then handling AND ride improved with the SS. Some of the best wet qualities ever.

My take is that in that application the A/S 3+ is a 2 ply carcass vs SS a 1 ply which may be a factor in ride compliance. Plus the SS steering response is 'different' from the Bridgestone razor sharpness; there is a minute delay, but the feel is light and on point as opposed to the sloppiness of the DWS / DWS 06 and the somewhat stiff feel of the A/S 3+. No 4S much below 19" yet but at VIR last IMSA the Mich guru said it will eventually replace all Super Sports. They were fun to demo on!
 
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